


Jones or Hook?

by lynsouat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), ouat
Genre: A lot of chapters, Alternate Universe, Captain Hook | Killian Jones & Henry Mills Friendship, Captain Hook | Killian Jones In Love, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Fluff, Charm, Cute, Emma Swan in Love, F/M, Falling In Love, False Happiness, False Memories, Father-Son Relationship, First Dates, Friendship, Funny, Hook - Freeform, Hope, Hot Chocolate, Humor, Kissing, Love, Memory Loss, Memory Magic, Mother-Son Relationship, New York City, Non-Consensual Kissing, Normal Life, One-Sided Attraction, Romance, Sarcasm, Sassy, Second Chances, Sexual Tension, Storybrooke, What-If, apple turnovers, chance of a happy ending, description, disbelief, emma and killian jones are dating, emma swan and walsh mention, evil queen-brief mention, happiness, killian jones in new york, neal cassidy-brief mention, normal emma swan, regina mills-brief mention, related to series, single mom, the enchanted forest brief-mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-08 11:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7755322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynsouat/pseuds/lynsouat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Hook goes to New York to convince Emma to come back to Storybrooke. When he finds her, he finds her happier than she's ever been before, as a single mom raising Henry in New York. After countless attempts to get Emma to believe him, he wonders why he's even trying anymore. He's a pirate, and pirates only have one goal, to get their treasure. Now no one was in Hook's way anymore. He could have Emma all to himself and have a nice quiet life in New York. He's starting to forget about his mission and is starting over with Emma. But every decision Emma will make will impact her family and friends left in Storybrooke. Every choice she makes will lessen the chances of her remembering her family, and will soon eliminate any chance for Storybrooke to have a happy ending. What will Hook do? Will he be Killian Jones, or Captain Hook?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trust your conscience

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of many, so stay tuned for more. This chapter has a few similarities to the episode 11 from season 3 of OUAT, but it's more to stay true to the original story line for the beginning. Hook is going to struggle with a hard decision in this chapter, will he be able to make the right one?

*BAM* The door slammed hard and a little smirk could be seen on Captain Hook's perfect face. He almost forgot about Emma's fiery attitude and gumption and it turned him on ever so much. His first attempt into getting Swan back to Storybrooke was an epic fail, but he would not give up yet, for he knew that without her memories, Emma would be ripped away from the people who loved her the most: her family. He walked down hastily down the stairs and walked out of the building. “New York City. Such a peculiar name for such a peculiar land.” The captain thought. He started to walk through the streets of the city, only to have almost been run over countless times, have countless children come over to him asking for a “selfie”, and have random women approaching him asking if he was a stripper. After many hours of walking, he finally reached his apartment, Neal's apartment. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have decided to stay there, but he was currently short on earthly money and needed a place to stay, and that was the only room that he knew was available. He closed the door behind him and took in the view. This was definitely Neal's home. He went to the window and saw the dream catcher still hanging there, untouched. There was everything that was needed in a 21st century home, a kitchen, a bed, food, a bathroom, a TV, and a couch. It wasn't the most luxurious dwelling in the world, it certainly wasn't as comfortable as his chambers on the “Jolly Roger” but it was cozy and he could always change it around a bit. He grabbed an apple from the counter, took a large bite out of it, kicked his boots off of his feet and went over to the bedroom. He remembered the look on Emma's face when she saw him for the first time in a year. Of course she couldn't remember him because of Regina's curse, but it hurt him so much when he saw that look in her eyes. She remembered for a fraction of a second, he could feel it, but she didn't want to be stripped from her perfect life. She didn't remember him and the more he thought of that, the more he started to wonder, why was he helping the Charmings? Why on earth would he want Emma back in Storybrooke, only to have her run away with her child's father? Why would he make her save the world again, to be constantly hurt over and over again when he could make her so much happier right here? He took out his rum and took a few sips while thinking about his decision. Should he let Emma be the savior, or should he let her be the princess?

The alarm rang at precisely 8:15 AM, and Captain Hook had made his decision. He was going to make one final attempt to get Emma to believe in herself and her past, but if that doesn't work, at least his conscience would be clear. He knew that tonight she would be on a date with her “boyfriend”, Walsh and that would be a perfect moment to talk to her. He smiled at the idea of his hook slowly cutting through Walsh's skin, but for the sake of Emma, he decided to let the poor man free. It was now 8:30 in the morning and Hook had to get ready for this day. He went over to the bathroom and drew himself a bath. The past couple of predicaments have drained him completely and he wanted to be fresh for tonight's events. Knowing Emma, she wouldn't believe him without proof, and she had spunk, so she would try to drive a butter knife through his hand or just punch him in the face, he laughed at the thought. He took off his coat and jacket first, revealing his hairy and manly torso, he then took off his jewelry and then removed his pants. Since he was living in the enchanted forest for a year, he had many the occasion of sword fighting and other physical labor, so his body was healthy, and in good shape. His rippling abs, hard chest, strong arms and long, sturdy legs gave him a statuesque-like figure. His face was another matter. His dark, unruly hair, scruffy beard, perfectly shaped nose, soft, rosy lips and sea-blue eyes gave him this look in his eyes, like he was the captain and you'd better do everything he tells you to do, or else. He climbed into the bathtub, grabbed some soap and rubbed it all over his body. It felt so good to have warm water all over him, he stayed there, just thinking, and dreaming about a life with his Swan, Emma Swan. Once he felt like he was completely clean, he climbed out of the tub, dried himself with a towel and put on nothing but a pair of pants. He walked around the room with his towel draped across his shoulders, half naked and still a little wet from the bath, he was certainly a sight for sore eyes. He looked in the fridge and saw nothing edible, so he decided to look around, just in case Neal left some money hanging around. Knowing Neal, he would never put his money in a bank, so he knew that he had to keep a stash of it somewhere in the house. After an hour of searching, he still couldn't find anything, until something caught his eye. Next to the window, there was a bookcase with a bunch of different books. He looked at the titles and saw one in particular called “Rumpelstiltskin”. To any normal person, the book looked like a normal children's story book, with vivid colors and a bookmark right in the middle of the book. Hook opened the book to that page and found exactly what he was looking for. There was a twenty dollar bill in each and every page of the book and found that every single fairy tale book that Neal had in his house had a twenty dollar bill placed in between each and every page. Killian laughed a little, impressed by his friend's intelligence and took a few twenty dollar bills. He went in the bedroom and put on his leather jacket, his coat, and pants. He took off his hook, put on a fake hand, put on his rings and his cross necklace, took a quick look in the mirror and walked out the door. He passed next to a small cafe and decided to grab some breakfast. He still couldn't get over the fact that you could eat such delicious meals without having to personally kill your food, or that dark, bitter substance called coffee is actually a popular beverage among New-Yorkers. He wandered around for the day, visiting Central Park, and many other landmarks until he arrived at the very restaurant that Emma and Walsh were dining at that very minute. 

He entered the restaurant, it had a very nice, romantic feeling to it, he turned around and saw those blonde wavy curls. He could barely contain his excitement, until he saw Walsh leaving and the coast was clear. He went over and sat down in front of her. Oh how he missed her beautiful smile, her long golden waves, her hazel eyes, her small pink lips and of course, her gorgeous body. “Bloody hell,” he thought to himself, “Swan has certainly been working out. That leather dress is just... Wow.” He quickly came back to his senses when Emma saw him and started yelling. 

"You!", said Emma.  
"I can explain," Hook replied.  
"You are a stalker!" Emma yelled.  
"Don't scream," Hook said. "Just hear me out. I don't do this very often, so treasure it love."  
While Hook was talking, Emma slowly put her phone down and reached for the butter knife.  
"I've come to apologize," Hook said.  
"For trying to kiss me?" Said Emma, while raising the knife at him.  
"I was simply trying to jog your memory."  
"It's time for you to go. Now."  
"Emma, your parents are in great danger."  
"You really have no idea what you're talking about."  
"'Cause you think you're an orphan?" Hook replied. "Because that's haunted you your whole life. I'm here to tell you everything you believe is wrong."  
"You don't know me," Emma said, shaking her head.  
A little hurt, Hook replied, "Lass, I know you better than you know yourself. I have proof." 

The minute he said that he knew that he caught her attention. Swan never would listen to him unless he had proof. He pulled out a piece of paper with Neal's address written on it. Knowing her, she wouldn't be able to resist her curiosity and would go check it out. Even if he tried talking to her about the fact that they met, that they knew each other for a year, that the only way to find out about who she was and who her parents were, she wouldn't budge. Not as long as she didn't have proof. 

"A year ago I was in Boston until a fire destroyed my apartment and I moved to New York to have a fresh start with my son." Emma said.  
"Wow. Regina really did a number on you." Hook replied.  
"You're a crazy person, or a liar, or both."  
Emma meant to say it with confidence, but she sounded more hesitant than confident.  
"I prefer a dashing rapscallion," Hook said with that “look” in his eyes. “Scoundrel?” He added.  
"Give me one good reason not to punch you in the face.” Emma said harshly.  
"You really don't believe me?"  
Even after all of this, she was still so stubborn. Being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, and how stubborn they could be, he could only imagine how stubborn their daughter would be.  
"You really don't believe me? Try using your superpower." He said.  
Now that did it. He could see her sit back in her chair. She was surprised even if she didn't want to show it.  
"Yeah. I know about that. Use it, see that I'm telling the truth." He added.  
She stared at him for a good five seconds until she said, "Just because you believe something is true, doesn't make it real."  
"Maybe, maybe not, but I know you Swan. You sense something's off." He knew he was getting to her, so he added, "Go to that address, take a chance, then you'll want to talk and when you do, I'll be in Central park, by the entrance of the zoo. Don't do it for me, or you, do it for your family. They need your help."

And with that, he got up and left, leaving a very confused Emma Swan. He exited the restaurant feeling quite pleased with himself. He was able to get through to her, he just knew it. The only question was if she was going to believe or not.


	2. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma listens to Hook and follows her instinct. She begins to wonder if the man is right or not, and if he is, her decision will change her life completely. She also starts to warm up to him as she brings him over to her loft for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter, sorry it's a bit short, but I hope you'll like it! xxx

The next day he waited at Central park for almost two hours and was almost going to leave until a very angry Emma Swan came storming towards him. She wanted to know why her son's camera was in her ex-boyfriend's apartment and what the hell was happening. He tried explaining it to her, and also handed her a memory potion so that she could remember everything about her lost year., but before he knew it, Emma cuffed Hook and called the cops, accusing him of sexual harassment. He was then dragged off to jail, yelling Emma's name, trying one last time to convince her that she was wrong.

She couldn't believe how persistent the guy was. He really believed in that crazy theory that he had. Even the night before, when he asked her to use her super power, she knew that he wasn't lying. Could it be that he was right? She tossed that thought aside and thought for a minute. If he was right, that would mean that her whole life was a lie, a cover-up for something bad that has happened, and he also said that her family was in danger. For all that she knew, her family had abandoned her. She had to go through hell to get where she was today and the person she was today was all because of her love for her son, Henry. Why would she want to throw that all aside for some parents who never wanted her in the first place? Besides, even if she did go to save them, she knew that she couldn't. She wasn't a savior, she was just an average single mother living in New York. *bling* Her cell phone chimed, she had a new message from Walsh. If what that crazy man said was true, that also meant that her relationship with Walsh wasn't real, that it was all a hoax. She always had a feeling that something was missing, that her whole life was just a story that she didn't remember writing, like there was a huge piece that was missing, maybe a little bit of reality? That poor guy was still in that prison cell. He needed a doctor, not a jail, and she knew that all too well. Her mind was set, tomorrow she would bail the guy out, and break up with Walsh. It was really cruel to do that to him since he proposed and everything, but she started to feel a little something for that strange guy who kissed her on her apartment doorstep. For some reason, when he leaned in for the kiss and actually kissed her, it felt so real, so right. It was warm, passionate, full of love. She could feel that he had feelings for her and that they were mutual, even if she didn't remember who he was. It was dark, it was filled with hunger, like he needed her lips like he needed water. It was soulful, lustful and just down right sexy. She wasn't the type of girl to feel all out of place after a kiss, especially when the kiss happened a couple days ago, but she couldn't get that warm, tingly feeling out of her head. She knew that would only be a one-time thing, but she still craved for it.

The next morning came a lot quicker than she expected. The alarm rang at 8:15, and her morning routine had begun. She woke up, brushed her teeth and went to the kitchen to cook some breakfast. She was making some eggs and thinking about how she could break up with Walsh when her twelve-year-old son told her that he was going to see a friend of his that day and that he invited Walsh for supper. Once her son left for school, Emma grabbed her red leather coat and walked out the door. She drove over to the police station and bailed out the guy. She found out that his name was Killian Jones and that he didn't quite like bologna, but she had to admit, usually she found that makeup on grown-ass men made them look effeminate, but this guyliner that he was rocking made him look manly and tough. She took a good look at him and saw that he was strangely her type of guy. He caught her staring at him and gave her a seductive smirk in response, causing her to blush profusely. He asked her if she believed him, for that must have been the reason for his release, but she told him that she still couldn't believe his crazy stories and that it would be best if they acted like none of this ever happened. She had to admit that she saw a hint of relief on his beautiful, flawless face, but she couldn't make up exactly why. She just brushed it off and decided to invite him over for lunch. She was going to have Walsh over for supper, so trying to socialize with the psychotic man before supper sounded like a good idea. While they were driving over to her apartment, they had a long talk about many different things, their likes and dislikes, their travels, their hobbies and all sorts of things. She found out during their ride home that Killian wasn't crazy at all, he seemed like a perfectly normal person aside from the curious choice of wardrobe and weird makeup. She started opening up to him and found out that he seemed to understand her and truly listen to what she had to say. She never felt a connection this strong with someone else before and this scared her. She knew what would happen, he would push away, she would build up a wall, or maybe he'd turn out to be mentally unstable, but she knew that in the end, she screwed up everything good that has ever happened in her life. Seeing that she didn't seem into the conversation, Hook decided to stay silent for the last few minutes of the drive home. He knew her too well, she was thinking about her tendency to put up walls, of pushing people away, or maybe that he'd turn out to be a madman like that mad hatter fellow. He frowned at the thought, he didn't want her to push him away, he knew that if she wouldn't believe, he'd have to start all over again, and he knew, that for her, he'd do anything. When they arrived at Emma's loft, he got a good look around the place and saw that this was her home. He saw how relieved she was to finally be back in her home, the one place where she could be herself and the one place where she would forever feel loved. He knew that she was scared of change, of committing, that she liked her life the way it was, but he also knew that would change. He would have his Swan, even if it took him a lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you have any comments, please let me know below, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! xxx


	3. A Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma invites Hook over for dinner and a little bit of chemistry is forming, until Henry walks in on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably one of my favourites so far because of how deeply Henry loves his mom and how sweet Hook is to Emma. Enjoy! xxx

She proposed an easy meal, like some spaghetti, but Killian wouldn't have it. He was centuries old and he picked up on a few recipes here and there. He decided that as common courtesy, he would cook for Emma, for that was something that he always dreamed of doing. With all of the saving and running away from Pan, they never had the time to go out on a decent date, and he knew when she left last year, that she still was in love with Neal, but now was his chance, his chance to be the man that Emma Swan deserved. Emma laughed at the thought of Killian cooking for her. He didn't come off as a cook and certainly not as a one-handed one. She saw him take off his prosthetic hand and in its place, he put an aluminum hook. At first, she was shocked, and almost reached for the cutting knife that was on her countertop, but when she saw that he wasn't going to stab her with it, she calmed herself down, still on her guard for any sudden moves. 

After at least fifteen minutes of trying to find any sort of ingredients, Killian decided that he would make a couple grilled cheese sandwiches with green beans on the side, an apple turnover for dessert, and two hot cups of hot cocoa with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. The lunch turned out to be fantastic, and Emma was quite surprised that he knew about her love for grilled cheese and cinnamon on her hot cocoa. She started wondering if he either actually knew her before, or if he was just a crazy stalker. Maybe both? She gobbled down her meal as fast as she could, she was starving and all of the food was excellent. She was practically drooling while she was scarfing down every single piece of food on her plate. The grilled cheese was perfectly crispy, there was a perfect amount of cheese and it was perfectly melted, the green beans were slightly seasoned and perfectly cooked and flavourful and her favorite part was the apple turnovers. By far, they were the most delicious things she had ever put in her mouth. She and Henry were always a little stingy when it came to apples, the last time they had an apple pie, it gave them food poisoning for almost a week and ever since then, they've decided never to eat apples again. But this special little turnover was now officially becoming her all-time favorite dish. Killian made the hot cocoa himself and it was actually very good. It was thicker than the average store-bought hot chocolate that she was used to, but this left a warm, soothing feeling in her throat and stomach and had a little kick to it that she was starting to get attached to. Killian watched Swan as she was gulping down everything that he prepared for her, she looked so darn cute while she was eating, because her focus was only on her food. She had a few crumbs on the side of her lips and he couldn't keep staring at her he almost forgot about his plate. He slowly started eating and was pleased with the results. He found it pretty ironic that she asked him for the recipe for the apple turnovers, seeing as he got it from the evil queen herself. This was going to be his life from now on, making food for Emma, being a fatherly figure to Henry, being a suitable partner to her and also trying to forget about the past centuries that he lived, knowing that she would never fully understand him. It was a cruel fate, did he really want it? Of course, he did. He loved Emma more than he loved himself, and he knew that she would grow to return the favor. He'd gladly cook grilled cheeses for her every day as long as she was his and his alone. He knew that he'd have to share her with Henry, for she was also a single mom and had certain responsibilities, but he knew that he would be able to cope. He gently brushed away the crumbs on her lips while staring deeply into her eyes. 

He gave her a little smile and said: “I made more turnovers.” She found herself rolling her eyes at the man, he was an insatiable flirt, but a good one nonetheless. She stood up to get more turnovers when he also stood up and accidentally knocked off her cup and letting it roll under the table. They both crouched down to get it when their heads bumped each other and they lifted their eyes only to gaze into each other's eyes. Emma's hazel eyes met Hook's piercing blue eyes and time stopped. Emma was about to lean in for a kiss when a very confused Henry walked in on them.

“Mom?” Henry asked. “Who's that? Where's Walsh?” He was trying to figure out if he found this scene romantic, or if it was just downright gross that he walked in on one of his mom's kisses. He's seen her kiss a man before but never when she was sitting down on the floor, with her hand in the guy's hair, brushing through it all sexy-like... He really wanted to get that image out of his brain. Emma, on the other hand was cursing at herself, wondering how stupid she could be and how traumatizing this must've been to her son, to see his mother fondling another man that wasn't her boyfriend/almost-fiancee. What kind of image is she setting for her own damn son!? If this magic existed, she would've erased her son's memory or maybe even turned back time so that she would never feel this level of embarrassment again. She had to give him an answer, so she said, “This is, uh, Killian Jones. He's... a friend.” Emma said while standing up as quickly as she could. 

Henry usually didn't mind the company, but he could've sworn that he saw that “look” in his mom's eyes. She lost a glow, that glow when you're in love. He knew that she loved him with everything that she had, but he wanted her to be happy, truly happy, and she never felt that way ever since... Well, his dad. He knew that his dad screwed up her pretty bad, and because of that, she never opened herself up to any man ever again. But something about this one-handed guy, even if a one-handed man with a hook would be exactly the kind of man his mom would avoid, he saw something different in him. He looked real like he actually knew his mom way before today. Even the way he looked at Henry showed him that he wasn't acting, this hooked man genuinely cared about both of them. Not just his mom, Killian liked Henry too and he looked fun, someone that Henry could see himself confide in. He grinned at the thought of his mom going out with this guy, he seemed pretty particular, but in a way, he wanted it to happen. He was turning into a teenager and he started to understand men and their way of thinking. He knew that this guy wanted to get to know his mom a bit better and he didn't know much about him, besides the fact that his mom “knew” him. 

“Hey Killian,” Henry said. “Do you wanna game sometime?” He wanted to get to know this guy. He had a strange feeling of deja-vu like he's known him before and it was driving him insane. He just wanted to set things straight and know if he was going to be good for his mom. Emma and Henry had spent a lot of time together, and he thanked his lucky stars every day for her not giving him up. He always wondered with who he would've wounded up with, what his mom's life would've been if she abandoned him when he was a baby. He didn't care if his mom gave birth to him in jail, all he cared was that she didn't give him up, she loved him enough to make a sacrifice and live through the pain, and he knew that if he had to pick a hero, it would be his mom, because she gave everything up, to save everyone who needed saving the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you guys liked it and if you have any comments please let me know! xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Well there was my very first fanfic, I know it was a bit short, but I promise they will be longer. I really hope you guys enjoyed it and if you have any comments, please let me know, and come back soon for more chapters, 'cause trust me, there will be more. xxx


End file.
